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Commissioners discuss legal liability, EPA funding and outside interest for the Boss building
Summary
Commission members said the owner of the Boss building faces legal liability for hazardous conditions and discussed the potential to pursue EPA Brownfields funding; library-district interest in reusing the building as a maker space was also raised.
Commission members discussed the Boss building’s hazardous condition, owner liability and potential funding and reuse options, including interest from a regional library district in developing a maker-space use.
Why it matters: commissioners said the property contains hazardous materials and structural risks that create public-health and legal liabilities for the private owner. Members described EPA Brownfields grants and state programs as potential ways to fund testing and abatement and said obtaining a formal hazardous-materials assessment could limit public-sector liability if the city or another municipal actor acquired the property.
Discussion highlights Commission members reported that federal EPA Brownfields programs could underwrite hazardous-material testing and abatement in future phases and noted that an owner who fails to remediate hazardous waste can face substantial liability. The group also discussed that, if the city were to acquire the building through a formal process that documents preexisting contamination, the municipal buyer could avoid certain cleanup liabilities by using established federal assessment and remediation pathways.
Separately, a representative from the regional library district (identified in the meeting as Tim Miller of the Ramar Library district) expressed interest in the building as a site for a maker-space program. A commissioner said Miller told the group the library district had up to $1 million available and would consider putting the building on the library board agenda; commissioners said the prospect of a well-funded reuse partner could change disposal or remediation options.
Next steps and information sharing Commissioners agreed it would be useful to follow up on Brownfields and EPA processes, and to share reports and conference notes the group had collected (members said they would forward their notes from the Saving Places conference). Members also said they will pursue conversations with potential reuse partners and with state grant contacts to clarify eligibility for hazardous-materials funding and whether the building’s future use would affect grant eligibility.
Outcome No formal action to acquire the property or direct legal steps were taken; the commission recorded a direction to continue outreach to grant programs (EPA Brownfields, DOLA and state public-health funding) and to circulate the Saving Places summary notes among members.
